On the very principle alone I do NOT support this.
And my relationship with God is between myself and God alone. Old men doing political jockying in church offices making threats are insignificant and of no consiquence. They are just men, failable and weak. The have no leverage on my, or anyones, relationship with God.
You’re not Catholic, yet you presume to tell the Catholic Church which members should or should not be in good standing?
I agree whole-heartily.....However, the Catholic Church is a private organization and no one is forcing these people to be a part of it. They can set their own rules. They will grow or shrink based upon people's reaction to these kind of issues
“And my relationship with God is between myself and God alone. Old men doing political jockying in church offices making threats are insignificant and of no consiquence. They are just men, failable and weak. The have no leverage on my, or anyones, relationship with God.”
Perhaps that explains the present state of affairs.
BTW, how many different “Christian” denominations are in existence today, 5000? That speaks volumes about “personal interpretation” … and your ideas.
How do you know this? Didn't Christ establish a Church against which the gates of hell would not prevail? If so, then that Church must exist to this day. And if it exists, we must take our disputes "to the Church," as Christ commanded, since, as Christ said, anyone who fails to "listen to the Church" should be treated as a "pagan or tax collector."
As Christians, then, we have a grave obligation to find Christ's Church, and to obey Its teachings. At the very least, we are not permitted to throw up our hands and abandon our search for Christ's Church. A good place to begin a search for the historical Church of Christ would be to study the history of the early Church.
As you know, Catholics believe that the Catholic Church is, in fact, Christ's Church, which is why we are obligated to obey its teachings.